


Sand Castles and Building Blocks

by titC



Series: December 2016 - Month of Fluff! [6]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Amenadiel is clueless, Chloe is right Jeff Goldblum was one hot mathematician, F/M, Maze is awesome, Maze is the coolest auntie ever, big bro Amenadiel, childhood isn't only made up of fluff and happiness, escaping reality, everybody loves Trixie, fluff month, kids aren’t always sweet, kids love dinosaurs, pre-Deckerstar - Freeform, sandy feet, tropey fic, tumblr lucifer secret santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 21:15:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9027343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titC/pseuds/titC
Summary: Chloe and Trixie meet a strange young boy...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ScooterThyme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScooterThyme/gifts).



> For the Lucifer Secret Santa on Tumblr, for tardis-scooter  
> I hope you like it :-)

 

Lucifer had disappeared again. It wasn’t the first time, especially after they’d shared a mildly emotional moment, but… Chloe sighed. She’d give him a few days before going after him. Maybe he needed to have a bit of a freak-out or something. Whatever, as usual she’d be the adult here. And, of course, the responsible parent – although she already had one child, thank you very much.

“Trix, are you ready?”

Her little girl rushed out of her room with her tiny purple backpack thrown over one shoulder, the one with a green diplodocus grinning at the world through sequined eyes. “Is Maze coming with us?”

“No, she said she was doing something with her friend.” Trix looked crestfallen for a few seconds, but then forgot all about it as she hopped in the car.

“Dinosaurs! We’re going to see dinosaurs!”

Well, mostly dinosaur bones, but she was overjoyed anyway. It had always been a favorite museum but now they had a special exhibit with even more dinothings, and so this Saturday was going to be her big day. Of course there would be many other people, but maybe she’d make some friends too – at least for the afternoon.

When they got there, the parking lot wasn’t as full as she’d feared; but it was still far from empty. She parked next to a Prius, and followed Trixie who was already happily skipping ahead.

As she paid for the tickets she saw a scrawny little boy about her daughter’s age, sitting alone on a bench by the window and engrossed in a glossy brochure. A tall black man joined him and sat down by his side, and the boy started to gesture at some of the pictures – ah, picking out what he wanted to see. Good idea. She grabbed a museum map by the counter and called her daughter.

“Here, look. Is there anything you really don’t want to miss?”

Big, sad eyes. Damn. “But mommy, I want to see _everything_! Can’t we see everything?”

“Well, sure, but just in case. You know.”

“In case of what?”

“Well. Just.” She looked at the different sections. “Why don’t we start with the giant herbivores like the one on your bag?”

Trixie rolled her eyes and snatched the map from her hand, leading the way. Ah, well. Everything it would be. She checked her phone from time to time, but there was no new message. Well, it wasn’t exactly true; there was a text from Dan asking if they were still doing Taco Tuesday next week, a photo from Ella who’d been doing a 2-mile uphill race this morning. Nothing from Lucifer.

Trixie was running from skeletons to animated dinosaurs, and Chloe kept an eye on her as she worried about his disappearance. Yes, he’d let something out about the recent death of a brother and then clammed up and made his apologies – _oh, look at the time Detective, things to do, places to go_ – when she’d put a hopefully comforting hand over his back. Ah, his back. She’d felt the roughness of his skin there and only remembered then the huge scars that he didn’t like touched. Maybe that was just it. Maybe they still hurt sometimes. Maybe it wasn’t her, but just the scars.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t see the man before she bumped into him.

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

“No, it’s my – Chloe?”

“What – oh! Amenadiel, right? Lucifer’s brother?” She hadn’t seen him in a while, but his weird name had stuck in her memory.

“Yes! Yes. I, uh.” He looked left and right. “I’ve lost a kid.”

“Oh. _Your_ kid?”

His eyes widened. “Oh Father no, just…”

And then she recognized him. He was the tall black guy sitting next to the boy earlier – same black jeans, same dark grey hoodie. She hadn’t seen his face then. “The skinny boy with curly black hair? I think I saw you both earlier, but I didn’t recognize you then.”

There was relief in his eyes. “Yes! That’s him. My, uh. Nephew.” He scanned the big room. “He’s good at escaping, that one. Where is he? Sam!” He said a bit louder over her head.

Well, some people in the family had normal names, then. She narrowed her eyes when she realized she couldn’t see Trixie anymore. Ah, there – and, speaking of the devil… “I think I’ve found your nephew.”

He followed her gaze and breathed out a sigh of relief as they marched to the little corner where the two children were huddled over a piece of paper – the quizzes the museum had prepared for kids, she saw as they got nearer. She felt quite proud to see her daughter collaborating with another kid she didn’t even know… right until she snatched the pencil out of his hand. “No, you’re _wrong_! They didn’t eat trees!” Well. Being assertive was good too, right?

Sam blinked at her in surprise before looking up, up, up at Amenadiel, who frowned. “What did I tell you about staying in my line of sight?”

“But you were talking to the lady!” The kid waved at her from the ground, charming and radiating innocence. She didn’t believe it for a minute, his wide brown eyes were way too full of mischief – like Trixie’s, really. Letting them team up may not be the best idea ever.

“Ah, yes. Sam, this is Chloe. Chloe, my nephew Sam.” He emphasized _nephew_ a bit strangely. Well, maybe they were not related by blood, maybe they were close neighbors or something. Or –

“You know each other?”

“Yes monkey, we do. He’s Lucifer’s brother, Amenadiel.”

“That’s a strange name.”

Amenadiel rolled his eyes. “Never heard that one before. And you are… Trixie, yes?”

She nodded and held out the paper they’d been working, sort of, on. “Mom, can you keep this?”

“Well, why don’t you put it in your bag?”

She pouted. Chloe raised an eyebrow. The pout grew. The eyebrow went higher.

“Fine,” the boy said, and he snatched the paper and stuffed it in Trixie’s bag between them. “Honestly. _Girls_.” He’d sounded so put upon Chloe couldn’t help a little laugh. And then she felt her eyes widen.

“Okay kids, why don’t we go to the next room? We’re right behind you,” she said as she shooed them onward. When they were far away enough, she turned to Amenadiel. “Is he… is he Lucifer’s kid?”

He choked. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, he looks a bit like him, I guess. Same hair, same eyes. Also he sounds British. _Like your brother_.”

“Ah, no, he’s… not. Not really my nephew, it’s just… hem. We ca… don’t have children.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You do like your mysteries, right?” Eh, whatever. “By the way, I haven’t heard from him in a couple days, is he okay?”

“Er, yeah. Yeah, he is.”

“Hmm.”

“Er.”

She decided to put him out of his misery. “Let’s see what they’re up to before they start climbing a skeleton, right?”

“Right.” He seemed thankful to leave this conversation aside, and so off they went after the terrible two, who… ah, who were mock-fighting with foam bones instead of swords in the middle of a play area.

It was going to be a long afternoon.

 

Hours. They’d spent _hours_ in that museum, and Trixie was still wired and babbling about dinosaurs. Sam must be just as indefatigable, given the way he was frantically drawing and taking pictures with the little camera Amenadiel had handed him and pushing every button he could push on the interactive panels. He seemed to have a hard time settling on anything for long, contrary to Trix. Everything was new and shiny for as long as it took to spot something newer and shinier.

“It’s almost like he’s got ADHD.”

“Sorry?”

“He’s a bit, well, hyperactive?”

“Oh, he’s always been like that.”

“You sound like you know him well.”

“I do.”

“And yet Lucifer has never mentioned anything about a nephew of his. Even a not-exactly-nephew nephew.”

“Ah, well. You know how he is about family.”

“Yeah. Although he mentioned the other day you’d recently lost a brother. I’m very sorry for your loss.” She looked back at the boy. “He isn’t…?”

“Sam? No.” He swirled the dregs of coffee still left in his Styrofoam cup. “Surprised Luci said anything about it.”

“Well. I don’t think he meant to, really. It sort of escaped him and then he left as quickly as he could.”

“Oh, I can just see him do that.” The cup went into the bin. “I’m starting to want out of this museum. You?”

“If we can detach them from the bones, I’m all in.”

They went back into the last room where children were sprawled over thick pillows while a video was summing up the exhibit. Most of them were engrossed, some were dozing, some playing with the toys provided in large wooden bins along the walls. Sam and Trixie were bickering over a puzzle – a skeleton puzzle, of course. She had reconstituted a leg and most of the tail, he had been… creative with the skull and neck.

“Time to go,” Amenadiel said once he’d lowered himself on a knee.

“Go where?”

“I don’t want to go, mommy…”

Amenadiel’s eyes begged Chloe to help. She made a production out of looking at her watch. “Well, the museum will close soon anyway. We can go to the shop first and then, maybe, do something together?” Twin smiles appeared. “Would you like that?”

And so on to the shop they went, Trixie picking and discarding half the plushies before settling on a, a _stegosaurus_ one, Chloe read on the label; and a book. Meanwhile, Sam had dragged his uncle to the clothing section and had found a bright red shirt with an indeterminate dinosaur playing the guitar. He was also apparently insisting on Amenadiel getting the same one in his size, and Chloe smiled when she saw him cave. Once at the till, though, Sam’s eyes grew round and he tugged on his uncle’s sleeve, pointing at a little plastic toy.

“That’s not a dinosaur,” Trixie sniffed when she followed his finger.

“But it has wings!”

“It’s a _dinosaur_ museum.”

“I don’t care.” He looked at his uncle with big puppy eyes, and got his toy.

Trix clearly chose to be the bigger person about it and ignore this sin against proper species classification. “Can we have burgers now? And then chocolate cake?”

“Ah, it’s a bit early for that, but… I guess we could go to Santa Monica pier? What do you think?” The kids nodded enthusiastically, and Amenadiel seemed open to the idea.

“Well, sure, if you can drive us there.”

“Drive you? I mean yes, yeah, no problem. You don’t have a car?” She hauled her daughter up while Sam scrambled to his feet all on his own, ignoring his uncle’s hand.

“Not… not at the moment. I asked Linda to drop us here and I said I’d call when we leave.”

“Well, you can ask her to join us if she wants to.”

Amenadiel looked a bit embarrassed. “She’s spending the day with Maze.”

“In that case, they can both join us.”

“He likes _likes_ Maze,” Sam piped up.

“Oooh, he does, doesn’t he?” Chloe grinned as they walked to her car. Lucifer’s brother looked a bit broody for a minute but was distracted from his apparently failed love life when Sam confidently opened the front passenger door as if he belonged there.

“Not so fast, Sam. Children go in the back.”

The boy looked a bit surprised but complied, blinking at his uncle.

 

Once near the beach, Chloe had to grab her daughter’s hand before she ran directly into the waves.

“Not so fast, monkey. Shoes and socks off and pant legs rolled up, first.” Making a big production of it, she bent and dutifully did as she’d been told, then put her small fists on her hips and stared at Sam until he did the same.

Finally done, the two of them scampered off, Trixie showing off her cartwheeling skills on the way.

“They’re so… energetic,” Amenadiel said as she opened the trunk.

“Yeah, well. We all were at their age. They’ll be out like a light pretty early, too, so there’s that to look forward to.”

He hummed. “What’s in the bag?”

“Oh, the usual. Beach towel, bucket, rake, the whole shebang.”

“What for?”

She raised his eyebrows. “Seriously? Where did you grow up?”

He looked up at the sky. “We, hah. Did not grow up near the ocean.”

“Never heard of sand castles?”

“Well now I have.”

They spread the towel on the beach and watched the kids run back, their feet covered in clumps of wet sand and giggling madly. Chloe handed them the plastic set and Sam, too, seemed lost. He looked at his uncle with questioning eyes, and almost toppled with a squeal when Trix took his wrist to drag him to where she’d decided to dig and build.

“You’ll get the hang of it, don’t worry,” Chloe said with a laugh.

“Their clothes are going to be covered with sand,” Amenadiel said.

“Well, that’s half the fun of it. They’re kids, they never stay neat very long.” She turned her head to study him. “How long is he staying with you?”

“Eh, I don’t know yet. He was… dumped on me last week and I’m waiting to hear about when he’ll leave.”

“Where is he going to school?”

“School?”

“Are you… not taking him to school?” What kind of parents left their kids with someone who seemed, if well-intentioned, as clueless as Amenadiel? Or what kind of emergency had arisen?

“He’s, ah. Homeschooled.”

“Huh huh. And who’s doing the teaching? You, the man who does not know what a sand castle is?”

“Well, he’s on holiday, I guess. With me.” He looked behind him at the sound of voices coming closer, and his face went through different expressions – lovelorn, hopeful, stoic, stubborn – before settling on somewhat neutral.

“Oi, Linda, Maze!” Chloe waved at them as they got nearer.

Her flatmate glowered at Amenadiel and went to greet Trix, and – she seemed to know Sam, since she let him tug her down to show her something proudly. Well, she probably knew Lucifer’s family. Chloe squinted. It was the little winged toy, perched on top of a crooked tower.

“He’s doing well,” Linda said as she settled between them.

“He is. We met Chloe and her daughter at the museum and they hit it off.”

“You know him too?”

“Well, Amenadiel came to ask for some advice, and Maze is a friend. I got roped along into the little Sam team.”

“I didn’t know Lucifer had a nephew.”

“Neph – yes, well. I didn’t either.” She glared at Amenadiel, for some reason.

“So, Maze and you working together, heh?” Chloe elbowed him. “How is it going?”

“We take turns,” he ground out.

“She didn’t even mention him.”

“This week was my turn. Next week is hers.”

“Maybe she should ask before bringing another kid in our apartment.”

“Oh, we’re keeping him in Lucifer’s penthouse.”

“What?” She was about to launch into a rant about the appropriateness of caring for a little boy above a nightclub, where orgies were regular and where a terrible manchild was up and about at all hours, and by the way what did said manchild think about having his young nephew under his feet – when a shout made them all look back at the kids.

The tower had been toppled, and Chloe quickly understood what had happened when she saw another kid running away and laughing wildly, Trixie chasing him. Sam was sitting in the middle of the stormed castle, his chin wobbling. Maze patted him awkwardly on the head and stood up, stalking with a clear purpose to where the other boy was sitting with his parents. They watched as she sent Trixie back to the collapsed sand castle before bending to the three people. Very soon, the boy went from smug to terrified and the parents from uncomprehending to something that looked like babbling. Chloe should probably intervene. _Probably_. But she hated bullies, and wasn’t that why she was a cop? Maze seemed to have things well in hand, and she mentally gave her blessing to her roommate scaring the living lights out of them.

She dragged the boy back to the castle were Trixie was using the plastic sieve with intent while Sam was hugging his knees and _definitely_ _not_ crying, and shook him none too gently. He looked down contritely, and presumably apologized before running away back to his still pale parents. Well done, Maze. She shouldn't think that, but… she did, and so she high-fived her roommate when she came back to sit on their towel, as far from Amenadiel as she could while keeping her leather trousers sand-free.

After a few more minutes, Trixie crowed triumphantly and held up something than she handed to Sam. His eyes lit up and he cradled it like it was the most precious thing ever, and he said something to her daughter that they couldn’t hear. She squatted next to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he froze, looking helplessly at his uncle. Trixie didn’t seem fazed, but Chloe’s heart squeezed painfully.

“He really reminds me a lot of Lucifer.”

“He does, doesn't he?” Linda said.

 

Once the sun had lowered to hang over the horizon, they gathered towel, bucket, rake and spade and walked back to the car. Feet wiped off, pants rolled down and shoes put back on, they went to check the eating places around the beach and on the pier. Trixie was still adamant on burgers, and Sam only had eyes for his plastic flying lizard and showed no interest in food… so far. Chloe knew enough about kids to know they could develop a healthy appetite very quickly.

They settled for a burger place that looked promising and child-friendly. It was still a bit awkward between Maze and Amenadiel, but they managed to ignore each other’s presence without making the children uncomfortable, so there was that; and Sam insisted on sitting between them. Hopefully they wouldn’t shoot daggers at each other throughout the meal. He seemed comforted by their presence, though, and finally put his toy on the table. First time he was letting go of it since the incident, she noted.

“He should be punished,” he said.

Linda put her chin in a hand, elbow on the table. “Why?”

“He destroyed my…” – he looked at Trixie – “…our home.” What a strange choice of word, Chloe thought.

“Hm. But he apologized, didn’t he? And I’m sure his parents will explain why it was not a nice thing and that he shouldn’t do it again.”

He didn’t look convinced, but let it go, looking at the pictures of burgers on the menu she shared with Maze.

 

Soon enough, burgers devoured and desserts inhaled, the two children were nodding off.

“I guess it’s bed time for you two.”

“Nooo,” Trixie whined at Chloe.

Sam didn’t say anything; he was dozing against his uncle, who’d wrapped an arm around the child. They were cute, she thought. Even Maze seemed to think so when she got her phone out to take a picture.

“Monkey, you’re tired.”

“Mnot.”

“Yes you are. Come one, let’s go home. I’m sure you’ll see Sam again soon, right?” She raised her eyebrows at Maze, who nodded.

“Sure.”

“See? Now come, baby.”

Trixie reluctantly slid from her seat, but as she clumsily unhooked her bag from the back of her chair she sent a strap flying that knocked down the carafe of water on the table. It drenched mostly Sam, who startled awake with a choked-off scream. “Mnot on fire?” he mumbled before looking down at himself then up at his uncle.

“Ah, Sam, it’s fine, just water.”

The child wriggled and pinched a corner of the shirt away from him. “Don’t like it.”

“Well, you can take it off. You bought him a shirt this afternoon, it’ll be dry and he won’t catch a cold.”

Sam smiled at Chloe and, before Amenadiel could do more than start on a “No – ” he’d shimmied out of the garment and was patting himself somewhat drier with the paper napkins on the table.

Chloe couldn’t contain her gasp when she saw the reflection of his back in the mirror behind him. He had the same scars as Lucifer. She felt fingernails dig in her wrist.

“Don’t say anything, don’t show anything,” Linda whispered. “Act normal.”

“What kind of family – ”

“Later.”

Amenadiel wrapped Sam in his hoodie as they walked out to their cars, and Chloe hoped no one in the restaurant had seen what she’d seen. Who could do that to a child? Had it happened that early to Lucifer too? What about his brother?

As they said their goodbyes, she decided she’d try and get Maze to keep the child in their flat. It would do him good to be around another kid, and away from Lux. After Linda’s car drove away, she looked at her flatmate buckling a sleepy Trix into the car. And _she_ was surprisingly good with children, too. For a bounty hunter. At least there should be no skin carving, at least not on Sam or Trixie. She thought there might be on anyone looking at them the wrong way, though.

 

The next morning, breakfast wasn’t even over when the questions started. Chloe wasn’t quite feeling caffeinated enough to face them, but thankfully Maze was here to help.

“Can we go to the aquarium with Sam? Or to the zoo? Or can we go to Disneyland? Mommy?”

“I think your mother would like a quiet day today, kid. Do you want me to see if Sam is free?”

Trixie nodded so hard Chloe thought she’d hurt her neck, and Maze started typing on her phone. Messages seemed to fly back and forth for a few minutes while she felt coffee slowly percolate through every cell.

“Maybe you can play together? Does he have toys? You could show him your favorites, right?”

“I can take your daughter and her toys there if you’d rather. You’d have to go get her in the evening though, I’m busy tonight. But you’d have the day to yourself.”

“That’s… a good idea, actually. What do you say, Trixie? Can you make a bag of your favorite toys and games?”

She must have been particularly eager, because she zoomed to her room like a bee before rain and started mumbling and rummaging while sounding very, very busy.

“I’ll take her at 11. Amenadiel said he’d make lunch.”

“Ooh, and I’d have the afternoon for myself. I’d pick her up at around 6 I think, she needs to go to bed early; it’s a school night.” She pursed her lips. “If it’s easier for you, we can have Sam here for a few days. Instead of at Lucifer’s.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.” She knocked on Trix’s door. “You ready?”

“Almost!”

 

She’d had no news since Maze’s message (well, message… it was just a photo of Sam and her daughter building some sort of spaceship with Trixie’s Lego set under Lucifer’s piano, no words), but she assumed things were going well. It would probably not be easy to bring her little monkey back into the real world of bed and school, but she hoped the promise of seeing her new friend again soon would help. Maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t staying with them the entire week though, or she’d get jealous he was allowed to stay home – or _he_ ’d be unhappy to be left behind, possibly.

It was strange going into Lux and the penthouse knowing she wouldn’t see Lucifer. The place was so _him_ , but it felt… a bit dead, maybe, knowing he wasn’t here. Well, no one had told her anything, but if a kid was living up there with his brother, he certainly wasn’t home.

Someone was playing the piano when she walked in, something classical and regular she vaguely remembered from her few years of music lessons. It was Sam, looking dwarfed by the baby grand; especially when she could very well remember Lucifer sitting on the very same bench. His feet didn’t even reach the pedals, which was probably a sin against Bach or something; although they moved as if he wanted to push them. Trixie was perched on a chair shoved next to it, peering into the instrument and watching the strings vibrate.

“Hello. You’re really good,” Chloe said when he finished the piece. “Who taught you, your parents?”

He stared at her. “My what?”

“Well, your, er. Dad? Mom?” Damn, it wasn’t a question to ask, she should have remembered the Morningstars were very, very weird about family matters. He looked confused. “Nevermind.”

But he didn’t hear her, and his eyes were darting left and right, his breathing picking up speed. “I don’t know,” he said a few times. “I don’t have parents? I think?”

“Hey, it’s fine.” She looked around, hoping to see his uncle appear and save them. “Uh, do you want to play something else?” But he wasn’t listening anymore. He’d gone from confused to frantic. Panicked.

Finally, Amenadiel emerged from, presumably, the kitchen with a tray of little sandwiches. When he saw his nephew, he half-dropped it on the table and hurried to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Who’s mum and dad?”

“What?”

“Do we have a mum and a dad?” We. We?

“Well, of course, of course; they’re, er. Separated, you know that.” The child shook his head. “Of course you do, don’t lie to me.”

“I don’t lie!” Sam screamed.

“Well, I’m sure you remember – ”

“I don’t, I don’t I don’t I don’t I don’t!”

It would have looked like a tired child’s simple temper tantrum if it hadn’t been about _forgetting his parents_. He looked angry, angry and lost; slamming the piano lid down and his eyes never settling for long on anything, as if he was looking for something to – throw, hit, destroy – looking to do _something_. Something destructive. His attention was caught by the tray on the low table and an unholy glee lit his face, but Amenadiel caught him before he could reach it. Chloe was horrified. Should she call Linda? She wasn’t a child therapist, but Sam was used to her, and… would she know what to do? He started pummeling his uncle’s chest, yelling to be let down and left alone and that he hadn’t done anything bad, he hadn’t, _he hadn’t_ , but he was sorry, sorry, sorry, please, please let him go.

He finally slithered out of Amenadiel’s arms and ran away to – to Lucifer’s room. They looked at each other in the sudden silence.

“So he really doesn't remember.”

“Doesn’t remember what?” Trixie said. Oh god, she’d witnessed all of this.

“Well, he, um. He forgot most of his, er. Past. It seems. I didn’t think it was that bad. But he forgot… a lot.”

“Not the piano.”

“Or the dinosaurs!”

“You’re right, monkey. That’s really strange, isn’t it? Is there someone helping him?” What had _happened_? What kind of family was this?

“Well, I kept him this week and –”

“I’m not talking food and clothes here. I’m not even talking school. I’m talking _professional help_. I’m sure Linda knows child therapists, right? Have you asked her?” Chloe felt like strangling him. There was slightly clueless, and then there was borderline neglectful behavior. That boy had _issues_.

“But…” There was a tinkling china sound and both adults looked away from their glaring contest to look at Trixie. “What are you doing?”

“I’m bringing him sandwiches.” She’d piled a few on a plate and added a glass, the water sloshing as she stood up.

“That’s really nice, monkey. But maybe he won’t want to see anyone right now.”

“I can still knock and tell him there’s food.”

“Good idea. Off you go, Trix.”

They listened to her, speaking softly and saying there was food and water and also that she’d brought him his toy, and that now she was going into the kitchen with the book on dinosaurs because the grownups were making too much noise. Chloe sent a pointed look at Amenadiel, who seemed somewhat embarrassed.

“So I guess we should still be yelling a bit in case he wants to sneak out after all. Or…” She switched on the TV for some background noise.

“You’re right. Again. I’ll call Linda and see who she suggests.”

“Yeah, you do that.” She sat on the sofa, suddenly tired, and he followed suit. “Maybe I should bring him home with me for a few days. I’m sure Maze wouldn't mind, if it’s her week.”

“He’s familiar with this place.”

“Maybe, but it’s really not child-appropriate. Is he staying in Lucifer’s bedroom?”

“Well, yes.”

“The giant bed with black silk sheets? And probably things I don’t want to think about in the drawers?”

“Well, I…”

“Why here? Why not your own place?”

She watched him fiddle with the tray, aligning its corner with the table’s. “Ah, it’s not, um. I’m, er, having stuff… fixed.”

…Okay. Ladies and gentlemen, the Morningstars – textbook example of a dysfunctional family. And child torture, or endangerment, or… “Amenadiel.” He looked up at her low voice. She didn’t want either Sam or Trixie overhearing them, even with the TV still droning on. “What about the…” She gestured behind her. “…things? On his back? Lucifer has the exact same ones, and he’s pretty cagey about them. Mentioned wings or some such, but… really. What happened? Is it… a family ritual of some sort?”

“Ah, no. I don’t have those, if that’s what you’re asking.”

She checked no little head was peeking from behind a corner. “Partly.”

“I… I can’t tell you about Lucifer’s. It’s really not my story to tell.”

“But you know what happened.”

“Yes.”

She let it go for now. “And Sam?” He looked away. “Whatever happened, it’s bound to have been traumatic. And it doesn’t look like he’s getting any help. Even an adult would need help after that, and he’s a _child_.”

“Lucifer didn’t get any help.”

“Yes, well, look at how adjusted he is. And he’s actually seeing Linda now.”

He leaned back against the back of the couch with a sigh. A giggle reached them, and they both looked in the direction of the kitchen. “He’s come out.”

He started to stand up, but she put her hand on his wrist. “Let them have a moment on their own. He didn’t react too well to you earlier, just… give him a bit more time.”

“Yeah, okay.” He rubbed his face. “Look, I’ll keep him tonight, and then you can see with Maze what to do. You probably need to organize a few things, right?”

“That’s… fine. I’ll text you, all right? Better me than Maze, maybe?” She nudged him. “Still need to work on that apology, I suppose?” He mock-glared at her for an answer. “Try not to overwhelm him, all right?”

“Yeah. And I'll call Linda, I promise.”

“Good.” She switched the TV off and made some noise with a glass on the tray. “Okay, I’ll just get Trixie and we’ll leave,” she said loudly. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a thumbs-up – _yep, that’s how it’s done_ , she thought. _Watch and learn_.

She stopped in the kitchen doorway and looked at the two of them, bent over a page in her book, a drawing of lush vegetation where animals were represented eating, resting, fighting, and flying. His little plastic toy was set in the middle of the sky, and he was explaining Trixie the roles of different feathers on a wing.

“Hey, monkey. We should go,” she said softly.

Both raised their heads at the same time. “But mommy…”

“There's school tomorrow. Come on, baby. Get your toys back in the bag, and say goodbye to your friend.”

“Detective?”

Chloe felt like someone had punched her. “How do you know… why did you call me that?”

“She told me you were a detective,” he said pointing at her daughter.

“I… well, it’s true, I am.” She took a deep breath. “All right. Did you need something?”

“Can I…” His fingers twitched around the little toy. “I’dliketokeepthebooktonight.”

“Well, I don’t know, ask Trixie.”

He turned his head to look at her, and she shrugged. “Sure. I’ll be in school tomorrow anyway. You can keep the toys too.” He shook his head. “All right. But you have to bring it back soon!”

He nodded. “I will, you have my word.” Oh god. He looked like Lucifer, he sounded like him at times… it was unnerving. She really needed to leave, and so she urged Trixie to pack her stuff and say her goodbyes and only felt like she could breathe again once they were in the car with no strange Morningstar child.

 

She had no news on Monday and Maze wouldn’t answer her phone; but on Tuesday morning she came to the precinct and sprawled on the chair on the other side of Chloe’s desk. How she could do that on such flimsy, stiff and uncomfortable pieces of cheap plastic was a mystery for the ages.

“Lucifer is back.”

Chloe tilted her head to the side. “What about Sam?”

“Away,” she answered after a beat.

“Hm. I see.” And she did, really. The bigger picture was less and less blurry. “I’ll pop by Lux this evening then, I guess. If you can keep an eye on Trixie tonight.”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“Good.” Surprisingly enough, and in spite of her relaxed stance, Maze looked a bit ill-at-ease. Not as brazenly confident as usual, at least.

“Miss the kid?”

“Of course not.”

“Yeah, what was I thinking.” She smirked at her roommate, and Maze rolled her eyes and left the station with a detour via Ella’s lab (maybe planning a lesson on car-stealing with Linda or something, who knew with the two of them?) and Dan’s desk (where she left _oh my god_ a box of condoms. Mind not going there, thank you very much. Dan didn’t look too happy about the… joke? either).

She had work to do before she could see Lucifer.

 

He was, of course, sitting at his piano, although he wasn’t playing anything. She waved some smoke away and sat next to him, downing one of the shot glasses aligned on the top.

“Hi,” she said.

“Good evening, Detective.”

“So you’re back.”

“I am, yes.” He kept looking at the cigarette slowly turning to ash between his fingers, disintegrating little by little into the ashtray. The little winged reptile Sam had loved so much was upside down next to it, and Chloe reached out to right it.

“You loved that thing,” she said. “There’s no shame in remembering who we were as children.” The cigarette had burned itself to a stub, and he dropped it into the ashtray.

“Detective…”

“It was you all along, wasn’t it?”

He sighed, letting a hand rest over the keys. “How… When did you guess?”

“I don’t know. It all added up, I suppose. I mean, I’m not sure I’m on board the whole god and devil thing, but I’ve seen you do too many weird things to ignore you’re not… exactly human.” She elbowed him. “First I thought Sam was your son.”

He gaped and finally looked at her in surprise. “My son…?”

“Well, here was a little boy hanging with your brother, looking and sounding very much like you and supposedly his nephew. What was I supposed to believe?”

“Ah, well. Amenadiel has always been very bad at lying.”

“While you simply don’t.”

He smiled, looking down at the keyboard. “I don’t.”

“You didn’t remember who you are, did you?”

“No, not much. Here was… a place that felt familiar, I guess. My brother was, too.”

“He was sweet with you. Clueless, but sweet.” He rolled his eyes. “Why did he call you Sam?”

He left the bench to rummage under the bar, where she spotted Trixie’s book. “Feel like something fancier than straight shots?”

“Lucifer.”

He straightened, glasses in hand. “A cocktail, maybe?”

“ _Lucifer_.”

“That’s me.” She narrowed her eyes, and his big fake smile dimmed. “Sam… it’s my first name. I was born Samael. And then I… well. You know the story.” He glanced at the ceiling for a second. “I wasn’t one of _them_ anymore, and so I went by, well. My second name.”

“I like both.” She watched him set the glasses on the bar, looking a little lost. “I’m glad you’re back, Lucifer. Sam was a cute kid, but I missed my partner. My friend.”

“Sam doesn’t come with as much baggage as I do, though.”

“And he couldn’t reach the pedals and played Bach and drank juice.” She extended a hand. “Bring a bottle of whatever and play something more, well, you.”

“More… devilish?”

She laughed. “Fine, something devilish.”

He came back to the piano, a bottle of whisky in one hand and two tumblers in the other. He poured some and they clinked their glasses. “I think I came back because I missed alcohol too much.”

“I’m sure.” She bumped her shoulder in his, and she could have sworn he blushed. “Ah well, we all try to escape reality however we can. I admit, that was… different.”

He played a few notes with his left hand, no clear melody yet, while sipping his drink. “I’m not exactly… _fine_ , Detective. That’s what Dr Martin says.”

“But you’ll get there.”

He faced her, tumbler and piano forgotten, his irises dark and vast and full of stars. “I want to.”

“Good.” It was all she could get out, her throat and her lungs and her eyes too full.

He broke the moment before he could get overwhelmed – she could hear his breath catch a little, and she knew not to push. They’d both get there, she thought. They would.

He finally started playing, and she felt her mouth open in shock.

“No.”

“Oh, yes.” His grin was wide and full of joy and mischief and something else, too. “Don’t you love some John Williams?”

“Well. I was more into Jeff Goldblum as the hot mathematician than the dinosaurs, but…” She laughed at his shocked face.

“Detective!”

 


End file.
